Flexible packages are used for containing and dispensing a wide variety of items, both solid and liquid, such as food products. Flexible packages are particularly well suited to contain and dispense easily portable food products, for example beef jerky. However, jerky and many other food products can become lodged between the consumer's teeth during consumption. It would be beneficial for the consumer to have a readily available toothpick to help dislodge the particles.
Although the manufacturer of the product, or the packaging company, could possibly provide toothpicks by packing them with the food products, it would be expensive and would require special attention so the consumer would not accidentally ingest the toothpick. There is no safeguard for this, as there is little or no ability to control how a consumer eats the product. If the consumer does not pay attention when eating the product, they could ingest the toothpick packaged there within despite any warnings on the package.
Similarly, there is often a need to provide the user with a utensil, such as a spoon, straw, knife, fork, chopsticks, etc. for consuming the food in the package. Including such functional utensils in the package presents many of the same difficulties as explained above with regard to the toothpick.
Therefore there is an unmet need to safely provide a flexible package, and methods for forming and using packages, having toothpicks or other utensils provided to the package.